In this episode of the Making Every Class Catholic podcast, I’m joined by Kenneth Craycraft, author of Citizens Yet Strangers, for an engaging conversation on faith, politics, and the challenge of forming students as Catholics in a polarized civic culture. Drawing on his work and experience, Ken reflects on the tensions Catholic educators face when teaching subjects like civics, history, and social studies in a culture shaped by modern political assumptions.

Together, we explore the competing “stories” that shape our moral imagination: the dominant narrative of liberal individualism, and the Catholic vision of the human person as inherently social, ordered toward truth and the common good. Along the way, we examine how concepts like rights, freedom, and political participation are often misunderstood—even by Catholics—and how language itself can subtly form (or deform) our understanding of what it means to live well together.

As the conversation unfolds, we dig into the foundations of Catholic social teaching—human dignity, solidarity, subsidiarity, and the common good—and consider how these principles resist being reduced to either left- or right-wing political ideologies. We also discuss the formation of conscience, the moral meaning of voting, and why participation in political life extends far beyond the ballot box. From classroom practices to concrete assignments, we highlight ways educators can help students critically engage political narratives without losing sight of the Gospel.

Finally, Dr. Craycraft offers a compelling vision of Catholic education as necessarily “subversive” in its refusal of the absolutization of politics. In a culture tempted toward political idolatry, this episode invites educators to form students who can think clearly and act faithfully.

Music by Braden Kuntz